


Burnt Black

by Hawkflight



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Explicit Language, F/M, Gardens & Gardening, Mental Health Issues, Paranoia, Self-Harm, Sexual Harassment, Situational Humiliation, Verbal Humiliation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-10-29 14:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10856298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hawkflight/pseuds/Hawkflight
Summary: She was lucky things had turned out like this. That's how everyone else would look at it anyway, given her position.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This pairing actually got some votes on my poll, so I decided to go ahead with this little idea. Enjoy!

"Rise Kujikawa's brand new CD comes out just next month! But if you pre-order SAPPHIRE now you'll get three bonus tracks plus this adorable charm for your phone! Don't wait, call now!"

Haru's thumb slid along the side of her phone absently as the commercial ended, and the channel went back to its regular programming.

"And now, onto the 'Hottest Meet-And-Greet' segment of our show. After his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It's the high school detective, Goro Akechi!" One of the show's hosts, a woman was being overly enthusiastic for the in-station crowd or perhaps just the audience in general.

"Hello there," Akechi said with a bright smile. He looked completely at ease on television.

"Thank you for taking the time to join us today, Akechi-kun. Your popularity is stunning." The male host added in.

"Even I've found it to be quite a surprise. It is a bit embarrassing, though."

"Moving along," the female host slipped in. "We've been told there's a case on your mind right now. Care to share, detective?"

"Ah, yes. That would be the scandal involving the master artist Madarame."

"There it is! All of this phantom thief excitement has caught your attention too, Akechi-kun! Allow me to be blunt for just a second. What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves?" Ah, it made sense that the male host would bring up such a recent rumor. It was a popular theory that the reason criminals kept announcing their crimes these days was because of a group going by such a mysterious sounding name, considering they would send a calling card out to their victims before hand.

"If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist."

"Ohhh, so you don't deny the possibility that they're real?"

"I may not seem like it, but I sometimes wish that Santa Claus actually existed. Although if he did, I'd have to arrest him for breaking and entering." Laughter floated up from the crowd, mainly females. "But hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real... I believe they should be tried in a court of law." There was that unshakable pursuit for justice.

"That's quite the statement. Are they committing crimes?" The male host inquired. "Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways."

"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, they're taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice. More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart."

"You have a point. These people are calling themselves the Phantom Thieves, after all. Amazing as always, Akechi-kun! I could listen to you for days! You have the most raident charisma!" He certainly did.

Her lips twitched up as she looked at the small screen on her phone. It wasn't the choice she had expected her father to make.

"I have to say though, I would be embarrassed if it turns out these Phantom Thieves don't exist. If that were the case, I'd summarize it into a report as a school project."

"Now then, let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi-kun about the Phantom Thieves!" The female host looked out into the crowd beyond the camera. "First, please press your button if you think the Phantom Thieves exist!"

A device beeped as the numbers came in, showing up on a board to the left. "About thirty percent or so? What are you thoughts, Akechi-kun?"

"I'm a bit surprised. That's higher than I was expecting. I'd love to hear some more detailed opinions on the Phantom Thieves' actions."

The female host stood up at Akechi's words, walking past the camera and supposedly into their live audience. "All right, let's try asking this student here. Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?"

"They do more than the cops," some vaguely familiar voice spoke up from the crowd.

Akechi laughed lightheartedly.

"This completely goes against the opinion you had about them being tried by law, Akechi-kun," the host still on-screen pointed out.

"Indeed. It's rather intriguing to hear such a strong acknowledgement. In that case, there's one more question I 'd like to ask... If someone close to you, for example your friend next to you. If his heart suddenly changed, wouldn't you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?"

"They only target criminals," the student replied.

"I see. But how can you be so sure? Whether the Thieves' actions are good or not, I feel there is a more important issue at hand."

"Hm? What do you mean?" the male host asked as his companion walked back up into the camera's view.

"The matter of how they change people's hearts. If they honestly possess that ability... it could be used for more than extracting confessions. It could be that what seem to be ordinary crimes are actually being perpetrated by these methods."

"You know, you're absolutely right." The male host agreed a little too quickly, like he was uncertain of how any of it could be possible. Changing someone's heart was vague enough with no evidence of how they did it, adding in that the Phantom Thieves could be capable of even more was-

"Oh, please don't misunderstand. This is all purely hypothetical. It is only if people who can use such a power truly exist. Either way though, this cannot be ignored. The existence of the Phantom Thieves would be nothing but a threat to our every day lives. To be honest, I'm already working alongside the police to help sort out this matter."

A jingle sounded as the Hottest Meet-And-Greet segment came to a close and a commercial popped up soon after. Haru hit the home icon on the bottom of her phone to get out of the app, pressing lightly on the power button afterward so the screen went black. She slid the item back into her pocket, gazing at the concrete wall as the minutes ticked by, getting lost in her own thoughts.

Until the back door leading into the television station opened up, the bright light flooding the narrow alleyway. It took a second for her eyes to adjust, recognizing Akechi in the doorway. Haru pushed herself up from the crate she had been sitting on, taking a step forward to stop a second later. For a moment Akechi looked tired standing there, and a tad... what was the word she was looking for? Irritated? Whatever it was it made his features seem to twist, the shadows surrounding him growing darker, like something sinister. A chill ran down her spine.

He turned his head to her though, blinking and the vision seemed to disperse like a mirage. Akechi smiled at her and the chill she felt before went away.

It must have just been her imagination. Still, he hadn't been smiling when he came out. "Are you alright?"

Akechi seemed surprised as he stepped into the alley, letting the door close behind him. "Yes, I'm fine." He glanced around the alley, before his gaze settled back on her. "I'm sorry for making you wait out here."

Her eyes widened. He really was a fine gentleman, considering he didn't have to agree with this in the first place. "Oh, no. It's fine. I understand." She really didn't mind adhering to his requests since she was the one intruding on him, due to her father's wishes in the first place. And Haru liked this outcome better than being matched with Sugimura, so it's not like she could really complain without her father starting to talk about making him her fiance instead.

Which happened to make a lot of awkward silent moments, just like this.

"How about we go out? I'll treat you, of course," Akechi spoke up.

"Huh?" Haru blinked. Was he being serious? "I thought you didn't want to be seen with me?"

"Ah, I should have worded that better. When I mentioned the arrangement to a trusted individual they mentioned such a thing out of the blue wouldn't allow me to talk about anything but the arrangement on the shows I usually go on." Akechi let out a soft chuckle. "He even mentioned it could hurt my popularity, not that it would matter. Anyways, I do think they were just trying to look out for me, so I took them up on most of their advice. It would be best for the time being that we don't make a large scene. Your father could still change his mind after all."

"Yes," she agreed. At least, she wouldn't put it past her father if he decided he wouldn't get what he wanted out of this arrangement. Not that she was entirely sure what that even was. It seemed he would gain a lot more from Sugimura, but she really didn't understand politics, and mainly just thought of this as a lucky break. Sugimura was not someone she wanted to end up married to for the rest of her life.

"Hm, are you okay, Haru?"

"I'm fine," she said quickly, not wanting to make him worry. It would be her fault if she was handed over to Sugimura anyway. If she happened to upset her father or Akechi told him he wasn't open to this idea any longer. She didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

"Shall we get going, then?" Akechi asked, extending a hand out towards her.

She took it, perhaps clasping on to his hand a little too tightly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support! I'm happy you're enjoying this so far.

Haru let her hands settle into her lap when she sat down on the black cushion. Almost immediately her fingers started to fiddle amongst themselves now that one set wasn't in Akechi's grasp, since he was sitting down in the chair opposite of her.

"Thank you for accommodating me and my friend here on such short notice."

"Don't worry about it Akechi-kun," the manager of the restaurant was quick to assure Akechi that it wasn't a problem at all. "You and your client's privacy is very important to us. And of course we're flattered that you would come here to conduct your business."

"Oh. There's no need to be so formal." Akechi gave a little wave of dismissal at the atmosphere that had descended around them the moment they came in from the staff door. "I just came for the exquisite food you serve here."

The manager laughed, smiling shortly after. "I'm happy to hear such praise coming from the famous Detective Prince."

"Now you're just embarrassing me," Akechi said rubbing at the back of his neck, laughing along with the manager.

The man chuckled momentarily before continuing professionally, "Let me know if you want anything else. You can just use the phone in the corner to call the kitchen directly as well if you wish."

"Thank you." Akechi repeated once more.

"No, thank you Akechi-kun." The manager said, causing Akechi to grin sheepishly.

He really was popular everywhere he went. She wasn't sure how he could deal with all the attention. It seemed rather overwhelming to Haru, but Akechi was a natural when it came to appearing on tv and stating his opinion. Of course, someone that helped the police catch criminals and close so many cases would have to be a capable person that wasn't scared of public speaking or nervous about casual conversation. Unlike her.

Not that she was an introvert, but whenever she went to one of her father's parties she would get nervous and question almost every word she said. It didn't help that most of the attendees were adults, making her even more nervous since she hardly had anything to talk with them about. Usually during those parties she just went around introducing herself to people and trying to hold a conversation that would last up to ten minutes at most before the adults lost interest in being polite. Or rather another adult came around and they would engage in conversation instead. It probably wasn't a problem Akechi had to deal with.

The door to the room closed and Haru jumped slightly in her chair, thoughts scattering to the wind. Her eyes focused on the table in front of her, taking in the fancy dinnerware she was accustomed to. Not to mention the dressed up food. It was all foreign - European - in other words: expensive.

In all honesty she would have been fine with a greasy burger. This felt unnecessary, but she suspected Akechi chose this place because he thought she would appreciate it more. Because of the way she was raised, not because he was trying to impress her.

"I trust you're hungry." Akechi smiled at her and she felt herself relax a bit. He was suppose to be her fiance. She shouldn't be so nervous around him.

"Yes. Thank you very much."

"You really shouldn't be so formal with me. I brought you here to interrogate you after all." Akechi was sticking to that initial impression he had made on the manager, insinuating she was a witness rather than his partner in this arranged marriage.

It caused her to giggle.

He gave her an encouraging smile. "Go on, dig in."

Haru glanced back to the food, picking up her fork and twirling it within the pasta, stabbing something more substantial on the end so the noodles didn't just slip off before raising it to her lips and taking a bite. It was good. Of course it was. This was a top class restaurant in a fancy hotel after all. She didn't expect anything less. It was just... not something she had desired.

She placed the fork down on the edge of the plate, grabbing her glass of water and taking a large gulp of the liquid, repressing a sigh when she placed it back on the table.

"Do you not enjoy my company that much?"

"Huh?" Haru glanced up towards Akechi, who appeared to not have touched his own food. Had he been watching her? She supposed her behavior warranted such a concern. "No, that's not it."

Her fingers fiddled in her lap for a moment. Should she tell him what's bothering her about this rather medieval way of life? He was raised differently than her - she was sure of that - she wasn't sure if he would share her sentiment or not. Especially since she wasn't sure what he was suppose to get out of it. Truthfully she didn't know the reasoning for either side. It made her nervous.

But a lot of things made her nervous, so that was hardly a surprise.

And whenever she asked for details on such things in the past the truth was glossed over. Her father never thought it was any of her business. That she should just do what she was told.

For awhile she believed her fiance would be Sugimura, the man had taken an interest in her and the connection it made would be beneficial to her father. Akechi's name had only come up recently, and her father had more-or-less handed her off to him on random occasions such as this. It could all be a fluke. That her father and Sugimura's father had come across a disagreement, and handing her off to Akechi for the time being was just to make Sugimura jealous. It was difficult to say who she could trust, if anyone qualified. While most people would think they could trust their fiance she wasn't sure. She had never trusted Sugimura, he had made his intentions pretty clear early on with how he viewed her. A toy with a fancy last name. A trophy wife.

Akechi seemed nice, and she wanted to believe there were no skeletons in his closet. It was just difficult for her to put her trust in anyone when everyone in her life was pulling her strings; like she was just a puppet rather than a person.

"Akechi-kun... would you tell me a little about yourself?" She met his probing gaze with one of her own. "Not the detective part, but before that."

"I'm afraid it's not very exciting." Akechi said with a grin, fingers briefly scratching at the back of his head.

"But it's normal, isn't it? You didn't have cameras on you before now, right? The usual thought of a passerby would be that you're more handsome than most or something like that. Rather than what your last name is."

Akechi leaned forward. "Haru, are you unhappy with this arrangement? I can talk with your father about it and break it off. I'm sure he would understand-"

"No!" She said it a little too quickly, a little too loudly. So it was no surprise when Akechi raised a brow at her. Haru glanced away. "I'm just saying that... you made your own choices, with little influence from those around you. You seem... very free." That made more sense in her head, now that she had said the words they just sounded silly, not to mention confusing. She bit her lip, teeth threatening to puncture through. "Why did you agree to this?"

"Hm?" She noticed Akechi lean back into his seat from the corner of her eye and slowly turned her head to look at him again. "Your father was very persistent about it, and he has a way with words." So he didn't want to agree to this? Did her father have something on him? "But I don't want you to worry about it. I agreed to this of my own volition. The only reason I don't want to announce anything right away is because your father didn't seem sure of his decision." Akechi paused. "He mentioned a person named Sugimura. Are you familiar with him?"

Her blood went cold at just hearing the name, but she forced her tongue to work. "He's a politician's son. Father is interested in becoming a politician himself."

"You don't like him?" Was he talking about her father or Sugimura?

"Not particularly." She realized how that sounded a second later. Like she was using him as a way to escape being married to Sugimura. "I didn't mean it like that-"

"Like what?" Akechi asked. "If you don't like him your father should honor that. You are his daughter after all. Besides, I'm more concerned with what you think of me. You don't dislike me as well, do you?"

Dislike him? Akechi? "No." There wasn't anything to dislike about Akechi. He was being nothing but considerate for her own feelings, while she questioned him on his motives for engaging in simple conversation with her father. She was being paranoid. "I like you, very much."

Akechi smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have written this sooner but I strained my arm in a bike crash recently, and I still can't do very much with it. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Haru bent down, letting her bare legs rest on the warm concrete of the balcony as she pinched a leaf between her fingers, twisting it from side to side; inspecting it for any bug bites or sign of decay. It looked green enough, there were no yellow tinges to it, but it felt a little dry against her skin. Some water would fix it right up.

She twisted in place, reaching for the water pot she had placed on a wood counter before pulling the balcony door closed so the cool air from inside didn't escape. Haru tipped the pot over the plant, watching as the soil grew darker, measuring the amount with only her eyes. Once the soil looked moist enough she pulled the pot away from it, moving onto the next one and pouring the water she had collected from the sink onto the leafy greens.

It was relaxing doing this, the one thing she was good at. So far none of the plants she had been looking after had died. There were a few times one had come close, but she always managed to nurse it back to health. It wasn't something everyone could boast about - not that she had anyone to boast about to - but it made her feel good, finding she had a green thumb. Not that her father cared, though he had seemed surprised when the plants weren't dead within a week of her starting to cultivate them on their balcony of all places. So she considered it a small victory.

It made her think that if perhaps he wasn't so wrapped up in his own accomplishments and goals that he might have pointed her own out. Her school work wasn't considered anything special, even though she studied hard to keep top grades. It was because it was expected of her. He would only be disappointed in her if her grades dropped and state that no daughter of his should be failing school.

If he didn't own this company that is. She was sure her father would have continued to act more like a father if he had never taken up the position. Unfortunately for her that was all a dream. Reality was nothing like what she wanted it to be, and it wasn't going to change on a whim either.

Haru sighed softly now that she was free to do so, to wallow in her own self pity. As selfish as that was. She really wanted the choice to do this for the rest of her life, to follow her dreams rather than do what she was told from the adults in her life. Specifically her father...

It was because she had gotten out of the one with Sugmiura or that she was actually giving up on ever controlling such an important aspect of her life.

Akechi was nice to her. He was nice to everyone he met it seemed, except the criminals he prosecuted against she suspected. She just wished she hadn't been forced into this situation. If she was to marry him she would rather have met him out in the city and slowly fallen in love, to go to her father and announce that she had found a suitable life partner. For him to be happy for her, to support _her_ decision rather than make all of them for her.

It would feel far more natural if she was able to get to know him, to get the opportunity to ask him more about his own life, his own experiences, his-

Haru paused, the water pot tilted at an angle for the next plant in line, but not enough for the water to flow. She had asked him about such experiences, hadn't she? Not that long ago, right? But she couldn't remember what he had said. She did ask him, didn't she? She swore she had, but... he hadn't answered her.

Her eyes widened, the pot slipping through her fingers before she caught in, nearly drowning the plant and causing the water to splash out onto the balcony, making her legs go cold from the sudden splash.

That's right, he had evaded the question, saying that his past wasn't very exciting before asking one of his own to... to redirect her attention from him? No, that couldn't be. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. She was thinking about it too much, he must have been worried about her at the time because of the way she had been acting. He had thought she might want to call their marriage off even. As if she would ever do something like that.

No. It must be that he really did think his past too boring, too insignificant to talk about. It was possible that he didn't have anything good to talk about from it, which is why he had avoided answering her question. He had looked a little nervous - acted as such - when she asked him.

As her fiance she shouldn't question him. That's what she had been taught. Not everyone had a pretty background, not everyone was raised with a wealth of money like her. There was actually a rumor going around online that Akechi had been poor as a child. It even suggested that he had grown up in less than comfortable living conditions. She couldn't ignore that possibility.

If he had a bad childhood he likely wouldn't want to speak about it. Not many people wanted to make their hardships known. On TV he was the Detective Prince, a straight A student. Why would he want to be known as a kid that had to go to a soup shop for food? Then again, lots of people profited from writing books on how tough their own life had been. Either because people sympathized with them or were able to say that their life had been better. That's just how it was. It's just how the world worked.

His behavior pointed toward it anyway. Haru wasn't sure what she would do if he happened to be just like her father and Sugimura. A nice person like that turning out to just be hiding their true colors? It wasn't something she wanted to think about.

 _That's right._ She told herself. Akechi showed concern for her, putting her well-being before his own. How could she suspect someone like that to be a horrible person underneath it all? To compare him to Sugimura? A man she despised for a number of reasons, not to mention the way he treated others. Akechi treated everyone with respect. What had she been thinking?

She slowly tilted the pot over the last plant, watching the little water that remained get soaked into the soil. Once again she was being paranoid. Perhaps she should go see a therapist about it, as long as said therapist was looking to help rather than slander her across the newspaper and magazine covers.

The door behind her slid open, but she didn't turn to see what her father was up to. He liked to come out onto the balcony and have a smoke around this time after spending the morning and most of the afternoon in his office. He had been wrapped up in some important meeting all day, she hadn't seen him since she woke up. Just the little sign hanging on the handle of his office door saying that he wasn't to be disturbed.

"What a pretty sight. You mind turning around Haru so I can take in this image more effectively? You on your knees in front of me, that is."

Haru nearly jumped out of her skin - or that's what it felt like. The pot in her hands connected with the concrete, the metal ringing in her ears as she took Sugimura's suggestive words in. What was he doing here? In her house? On _her_ balcony? Didn't he know he had been replaced by Akechi? Or was that why he was here? Because he was angry with her father for changing his mind so suddenly? Was... was that why her father had been locked up in his office? Because he was talking with Sugimura?

Oh no. What if Sugimura convinced her father to change his mind again?

Haru glanced down to the empty pot, snatching it up a moment later as she collected the scattered thoughts of her mind. She got up from the floor, pushing up only with her legs so Sugimura hopefully wouldn't make any further lewd comments. The problem was that he was standing in front of the door, and she needed to pass by him to get into the house. Haru took in a fresh breath of air, turning around so she could meet Sugimura's gaze, trying to ignore the way it crawled over her body.

"If you wouldn't mind I must be going. I have somewhere I need to be soon. _Please move_ ," she could barely keep the anger from spilling out of her. Though the redness of her face probably attested to how put off she was by him.

"And where might that be?" her father's stern voice filled her ears now and she quickly looked past Sugimura to see her father standing in the house. He was slipping his phone into his pocket, so he must have had to take a call before finally coming out of his office. Which meant he hadn't heard Sugimura talking to her like that, he just saw her defiant behavior at seeing her former fiance. Not that it would have mattered, he never had said anything when Sugimura got a little suggestive before. He was completely fine with signing his daughter off as a common whore it seemed. "Come inside where we can talk properly."

She gave a small nod of her head, waiting for a few seconds to pass before realizing Sugimura wasn't going to move. Or rather he had, but it was just enough for her to slip by him into the house, and it had nothing to do with being gentlemanly.

Haru suppressed a glare, darting forward to squeeze through the space and feeling a rush of disgust when Sugimura briefly placed his hand on her back, as if guiding her inside. Of course his hand quickly lowered, giving her right cheek a brief squeeze.

It took all of her self-control not to turn around and smack him upside the head.

She needed to deal with her father right now anyway. Haru had said she had somewhere to be moments ago, but that wasn't true. It had just been an excuse to get away from Sugimura, and now she needed to actually come up with something to appease her father.

"I was thinking you could go out with Sugimura, Haru." Oh, _hell_ no. "The two of you could reconnect. Even if you're not going to marry him you can still be friends, and you got along so well not too long ago."

They got along semi-decently - emphasis on semi - until Sugimura started harassing her. A fact her father either didn't care about or had failed to notice.

"I actually already have plans with Akechi later today, and I was just going to go and get ready." It seemed to be the most believable excuse. There was no way she was going to be around Sugimura longer than necessary, especially if she had to be alone with him. Of course she would need to call Akechi the moment she was in her room and hope she reached him so he would actually show up. So it didn't become obvious that she was currently lying through her teeth.

Not to mention she would have to convince him that he had to come right away. She wasn't entirely sure what she was going to say to make that happen though. Haru nearly sighed out loud. _One step at a time._

"Really?" Her father didn't look convinced. He reached for his phone and she felt her heart sink. It was clear he was going to call Akechi to confirm this, since her father usually told her when she was going to spend time with him. This was all going south very fast.

It took two loud rings on speaker phone before Akechi answered. "Hello, Mr. Okumura."

"Akechi," her father cleared his throat. "Were you planning on stopping by to pick up Haru soon for some outing?"

"Hm?" That single surprised little sound made her blood run cold. _Crap_. She was caught red-handed.

Her father frowned at her before redirecting his attention back to Akechi. "Sorry, I must have been mistak-"

"Oh, I thought she had told you this morning that I had asked if she wanted to accompany me today. It must have just slipped her mind, she sounded very excited about it when I mentioned it."

At the unexpected interruption - and the truly unexpected words that had come from Akechi - her father was silent for a few good seconds, probably trying to wrap his mind around this. Though, she honestly thought she was the more surprised out of the three of them.

"Is that so?" her father finally managed.

"Yes. I'm terribly sorry for not telling you before." Akechi sounded so genuine in his apology that she had to wonder if she had forgotten their non-existent conversation 'earlier this morning.' "I'll be there in less than an hour. I would tell you to remind Haru, but I doubt she's forgotten. I bet she's already ready, isn't she?" A laugh followed his words at his own joke.

Her father didn't reply immediately, glancing from her to the phone. He seemed confused, sure he had caught his daughter being disobedient, but was he really going to question Akechi about a mistake he supposedly made? "She was just going to start getting ready, actually." With those words her father dismissed her with a wave, not about to hinder his own goals; whatever they may be concerning her marriage with Akechi.

Sugimura looked like he wanted to say something, but was keeping quiet, likely because Akechi was on the line and her father didn't care for other people talking when he was on the phone.

Haru took the chance to get away, putting on a bright smile for her father to show her previously mentioned enthusiasm before darting off to her room to get ready.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the well wishes! This is the longest chapter yet, and I didn't plan for it to be this long, but it just happened. Be happy! *throws confetti*

She suppressed a sigh of relief as she slipped into the car, maintaining a bright smile for her father that had come down to watch from the steps. It was something he rarely did, usually not taking any interest in when she left home or got back since he scheduled most of it. Just when it inconvenienced him. Right now he seemed confused as to what had transpired in his house barely an hour ago.

The driver shut the door once she was in, going around to the front of the company car. She was thankful for the dark tinted windows, as she could finally relax and stop with the facade. Akechi knew, so there was no reason to keep it up.

Haru still felt as shocked as she had when she heard his voice over the phone, backing up her lie with another. There were many times she was sure her father had realized the truth, which must be why he was so confused now. It's not like Haru had never tried to get something small past him - and most of the time he didn't care - but previously her father had actually told her she was a terrible liar and to not bother with trying to cover anything up. Like that time she knocked over the expensive vase when she was younger and tried to stick it back together with regular house tape and craft glue. To be fair, she had been seven and more terrified of her father finding out than anything.

As the car pulled away from the curb she noticed the glass sliding into place over the little window inside of the car, the part that separated the front from the back. It was soundproof.

She glanced towards Akechi as he pulled his hand away from the dashboard. If she had done that the driver probably would have reported it back to her father, but since he couldn't hear them at all now they could talk safely without her father learning that he had just been conned - by a terrible liar at that.

"Thank you for coming to get me." Haru finally allowed herself to speak, pausing for only a second. "Why did you go along with it?"

"You aren't grateful?"

She hadn't expected him to say something like that. "I am-"

"I was kidding." Akechi turned away from his phone to look at her, the screen going dark.

Haru bit at her lip to stop herself from making any further comment on the matter. It hadn't sounded like a joke, there had been a slight clip in his voice. "Then why?"

There was a short pause as he met her gaze. "I hadn't been expecting a call from Okumura and thought something might have happened. Which evidently wasn't far off from the truth. The moment I spoke I realized I could hear my voice echoing over his line and thought it was weird. When your father asked me about you however it was easy to confirm that I was indeed on speaker phone, and it was for someone to hear the conversation as well. Namely, you. It became evident you were lying about meeting up with me for some reason and he was trying to confirm it by calling me. I figured you had your reasons and that I should cover for you. That's all."

Haru was rendered silent.

He got all that information just from noticing he was on speaker phone? From the tone of her father's voice? He was more observant than she had previously given him credit for. No wonder he was solving crimes left and right at such a young age. "You're amazing," the words slipped right out of her mind and onto her tongue without her even noticing as she stared at him.

Akechi laughed. "It's nothing special, really. Most people can tell when they're on speaker phone, it just sounds different. Plus the person usually has the phone on speaker because they need their hands free, so the sounds of someone cooking for example are louder. In exchange the person on speaker has to speak louder to be heard over the addition of the background noise."

"But there wasn't any background noise for father," Haru pressed. Why did he always laugh off anyone when they praised him? Did it really make him that embarrassed? "You _are_ amazing," she said it again, without as much embarrassment on her own part for saying the words.

"If you insist." Akechi gave her a smile and she could feel her cheeks grow warm. "I am curious, though. Why did you tell your father that I was coming when that wasn't the case initially?"

Ah, he was asking for the reason. It was a selfish one. She almost didn't want to tell him because of that. If she had been able to handle the situation better she wouldn't have dragged him into this. Haru had panicked at the time and looked for the first possible escape route rather than thinking about it rationally. As Akechi surely would have done, not that he would ever be in such a situation.

Haru had to stop herself from looking out the window, to face Akechi as she realized that he very well might have had something else important to do today, and now he had to entertain her instead. She was being troublesome, the exact thing her father taught her not to do.

"I'm sorry." Haru bowed as deeply as she could while sitting in a moving car. "I didn't mean to involve you. Your name only came up when father pushed the issue of me going out with Sugimura. I had previously said that I had somewhere else to be just to get away from him, but father overheard... and you know the rest."

After a few seconds had passed and Akechi still hadn't responded Haru slowly straightened herself up to look at him.

He caught her gaze. "Sugimura is the one your father had planned to be your husband before me, correct?"

"Yes," she replied, feeling her heart sink. It really looked like she had just used him - which was true - but, she didn't want him to think that was all she wanted from him. A shield to place between her and Sugimura, an alternative to keep her father happy while she remained submissive, apologizing every time she screwed up.

"To gain political favor through marriage?"

Haru blinked, that's not what she had said when she told him about Sugimura. "I didn't-"

"It's what you meant. Your eyes said as much."

She went silent, watching him. He wasn't wrong. She just hadn't meant to slip up like that. Of course an arranged marriage this day and age for someone like her was just a tool for such things. It brought up that question about this arrangement once more, crawling up from the back of her mind: what was her father suppose to get out of marrying her off to Akechi? It didn't seem nearly as profitable as Sugimura, definitely not something that would pay off immediately... right?

Akechi continued to stare out of the car, looking lost in thought. There was probably something there that would tell her what he might be thinking, but she wasn't nearly as perceptive as him.

The little twitch of his lips had pulled them down for only a second. A phantom frown.

Haru sighed softly, unintentionally gaining Akechi's attention. "What is it?"

She wanted to ask him what her father had promised him, what arrangement they had made with her as the bargaining chip, but... would he even give her a real answer? Was there a point? "Nothing."

He didn't look convinced, but Akechi only glanced in the direction of the driver before looking back towards her. "I have to make a stop for work, and it's already late. So we can just ditch the driver afterward and find a quiet place in the city. What do you think?"

"That sounds fine." Haru hadn't had any plans after getting out of her father's house and she had already asked enough of Akechi for today, so it's not like she could start making demands now even if she wanted to. "Whatever works best for you."

"Then it's settled." Akechi smiled at her, causing her to almost frown herself. If he was doing this for his own benefit why was he being so nice to her? So considerate? And why did he keep smiling at her like that whenever she felt her shoulders draw inwards? "You'll come with me into the building and up a few floors to convince the driver that this is our destination. But you'll use the fire exit down the hall on the third floor to get out back and I'll meet you there in say... fifteen minutes after we part ways. From there we can go to Shinjuku, it's not too far on foot and I doubt the driver would think to look for us there when we don't come out through the front."

She blinked. That plan sounded rather elaborate for something he had just thought up. Or was that what he had been thinking about for most of the ride? Either way... "Okay." It was simple enough for her, easy to remember. She guessed he had to talk to a witness or something.

The car stopped in front of the previously discussed building a few minutes later. Akechi got out of the car first, moving around to her side before the driver could even undo his seat-belt. He opened the door for her, holding it as Haru stepped out and onto the sidewalk, hearing the car door closed behind her when Akechi began walking, motioning for her to get closer.

Haru quick-stepped over to him, settling into the pace he had set. She began to drift back rather than walking alongside him when they entered the building, not wanting it to appear that they were together or anything like that. She wasn't going to forget the conditions she had agreed to while her father could still mess with her life.

Akechi turned a few seconds after they had been walking in the building, reaching back to grasp her fingers in his and tugging her forward so she was walking in step with him again. Her eyes widened as he went straight for the stairs, but no one was paying them any attention. Everyone here were in business suits, oblivious to everything around them that didn't concern them, too mixed up in their own thing to notice some random girl with Akechi.

She glanced down to the brief case he carried in his other hand, steel with an A emblazoned on it in black text. It must carry all his important files. Haru had to concentrate again when they started ascending the stairs, and everything quickly became a blur as she made her way through the building and out the back.

It took exactly fifteen minutes for Akechi to show up and lead her through the maze of alleys and back-ways to Shinjuku, stopping to turn and ask her if she wanted anything. Her stomach chose that exact moment to growl of course and Akechi laughed, disappearing shortly after with the promise of bringing some food back with him.

Haru smiled as she leaned against the building, palms lying flat against the wall as she looked up. She didn't mind waiting, the people in Shibuya were more likely to notice Akechi, and she knew students still came her at night - Akechi's most loyal fan base. It would cause problems if they saw her with him, and she gazed up at the sky, trying to pinpoint a star in the midst of all the bright lights of the city.

A shoe slid over the gravel uneasily, as if it were gliding rather than being picked up. A moment later she heard the man stumble into the wall she was leaning against, he reeked of alcohol but she chose to ignore him, knowing Akechi would be back soon and they would probably eat on their way back to her house.

There was a grunt from the man as he noticed her though, and she recognized the voice too late. "Haru? Out in Shinjuku this late? Didn't you have a date with that Akechi fellow?"

Sugimura had quickly stepped in front of her - quite an accomplishment for a drunk, if he didn't need to plant his hands on either side of her so he didn't fall over. Still, she couldn't move from where she was and she felt a shiver run down her spine as his gaze ran over her body.

"What? He ditch you?" A sly grin slid over his features and Sugimura leaned closer. "Or did you ditch him for some _fun_?" His hand left the wall in an instant to land on her thigh, quickly traveling up her legging.

Both her hands came down a second later, one curling around the bottom of her skirt to keep it down so he couldn't pull it up. The other pushing his hand away so he couldn't get a grip on her clothing. Beyond that she was petrified to be caught in this district by him of all people, even if she hadn't been up to anything 'fun' like he evidently thought in his drunk stupor.

"No, no one ditched anyone. Stop it," she said, batting his left hand away from her skirt multiple times so he couldn't just reach up from underneath.

Sugimura was frowning, glaring at her one hand before he grabbed it, fingers wrapping around the back and drawing her hand forward to rest on his crotch. "If you're going to play a game play it with this," his words nearly came out in a drunken slur with the way he lowered his voice, but she could still understand him perfectly.

She could feel him straining against his pants, getting hard from molesting her like this. Combined with the rancid smell of alcohol that stung her nose every time he spoke she was quickly becoming nauseous. She couldn't believe this was happening, not after she managed to get away from him earlier. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Why was he so fixated on her?

Haru was on the verge of tears as he pressed her hand more firmly against his pants; she felt like she was going to throw up any second.

Sugimura leaned closer. "Why don't we continue this at my place?" he hissed into her ear, dragging his tongue along the lobe a second later. She shrunk back against the wall, not gaining more than a centimeter of space between the two of them, and he closed it quickly afterward. Her knees lowered slightly, locking into place beneath her as she trembled against the wall.

" _Stop it_ ," she gasped out, eyes widening at the strain in her own voice. Haru was breathing too quickly, trying to get clean air into her lungs: to clear her head, but it just got more fuzzy the more she drew breath. She was hyperventilating. What would he do with her if she feinted? Would he care? Would he even notice? Or just force himself onto her unconscious body in this alleyway?

"Excuse me, but I believe she just told you to stop."

She turned her head quickly to see Akechi now in the alleyway, holding a bag with a food decal on it in one hand, his briefcase in the other. Sugimura turned with her at the sound of someone else speaking. His eyes narrowed, looking Akechi up and down in the dim light.

It took a few more seconds before Sugimura put the scene together it seemed, apparently recalling her words from before. "Goro Akechi? _Detective Prince_?" the respectful title was spat out onto the gravel.

"That's right. Do I know you?" Akechi's tone was flat, lacking any emotion unlike Sugimura.

Who seemed to be ignoring Akechi as he turned back to her, raising his right hand off the wall to run his fingers feather-light down her cheek. She tried to press further into the wall to escape his touch, wanting to just vanish into it like a ghost.

"What a slut." Her eyes widened, body going rigid at his words.

She felt like she had just been slapped across the face.

Sugimura turned back to Akechi, both hands releasing her, putting them up in a mocking gesture. "It's okay, everything here is fine Mr. Detective. I don't mind sharing. We can both benefit from the whore. That's why you agreed to it, isn't it? To have a tight cunt waiting for you? But I was here first, so I'll be the one breaking her in. You can have her after I've made her leak from every orifice."

And with that Sugimura stumbled back down the alleyway, chuckling to himself before disappearing around the corner. The sound of a door opening and closing followed moments later. He had gone back into whatever club he had slinked out of, and she would have been glad for it. If not for the fact that he had just humiliated her in front of Akechi, saying such things that made the acid in her stomach crawl up her throat.

She couldn't tell if she wanted to puke or faint. Maybe both?

"Are you okay?" Akechi walked over to her, setting his briefcase down as he pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. When she didn't respond, aware that she had broken out into a cold sweat Akechi added, "I can see why you don't like him."

Haru blinked, realizing she was still clutching onto the hem of her skirt. She quickly let go, letting both arms dangle at her sides lifelessly. "Yes," she managed after a moment, breathing beginning to go back to normal. "He's very vulgar."

"I was more so referring to his hands-on approach." She wasn't sure if that was suppose to be a lame attempt at a joke or not, to lift her spirits; but she wasn't in the mood to laugh either way.

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

She felt Akechi's fingers that had been lightly running over her forehead fall away a second after she spoke. It took only another moment before Akechi had clasped one of her hands in both of his. "You shouldn't be apologizing, he's the one in the wrong here. If he gives you any more trouble you can call the police-"

"He's a politician's son." Haru's voice cracked on the words. She wanted nothing more than to throw both her hands up, to cover her damp eyes from his gaze. But his grip held the one steady, and she couldn't command the other one. She felt dirty after Sugimura had touched her, like her skin was crawling with ants all over her body. But she couldn't go to the police, if she could she would. She had thought about it before, and then she realized there would be no point. Sugimura's father would make sure she was the one that got ridiculed, make up some story of her coming onto Sugimura. With politicial influence and money he could easily buy the police and have them shred her testimony into nothing.

There was no point going to the cops. It was futile when her own father didn't have the same influence, didn't even care what Sugimura did to her in the first place.

"Okay," Akechi's voice was quiet when he spoke, almost like a whisper in the wind. "Then you can come to me." His fingers pressed into her one hand, uncurling her fingers to push a thin piece of paper into them only to close them back into a fist.

She stared at him, not understanding.

"I'll take you back home."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait, had a case of word block. But I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Her thumb slid forward then back. Forward then back, again and again over the little piece of paper she held in her hands. Not enough to cover the words, just to feel the indent at the edge of them that the pen had made when Akechi marked it again right before he escorted her up the stairs and into her house last night. This way it was kept warm like it had been when Akechi handed it back to her, and she slipped through the doors and into her own room without any word from her father on how late it was.

It was obvious he didn't care, though after what happened last night she wondered what her father thought  _did_  happen since she didn't come back at a normal time. That and she had ditched the driver with Akechi, leaving her father in the dark and probably wondering again about the incident on the porch.

Did he think she was pleasing him? Doing things with Akechi that Sugimura had not so subtly hinted at wanting from her? Would he be happy if that were true? See it as a seal of her own approval? To go through with the marriage and use Akechi so that... he could get whatever he wanted from him while using his own daughter as the bargaining chip?

It had clearly been the situation with Sugimura, or at least that's all he wanted from it. A toy. In exchange father would become a politician.

Haru's gaze lowered from the TV back down to the scrap of paper. The black gloss staring back up at her.

It was his place of residence.

Akechi had written down his address on it before even seeing Sugimura molesting her. So she had to question  _why_  she had recieved it - why she would have recieved it whether Sugimura had been there or not, - why it was already prepared. He had clearly thought over it and decided it went with... his plans?

She wasn't sure. Akechi had taken her back here after last night, he had never molested her, and yet he wanted her to have his address? Sugimura called her a slut. Perhaps that's how all her poential suitors saw her? Even the ones that didn't seem like it initially?

Some pretty young legal thing that would spread her legs and let them plow her as long as they could afford for her to continue her expensive lifestyle? Which wasn't very expensive in her eyes, not because she had money, but simply because it was empty of anything meaningful.

Like her life didn't include anything but people that wanted to gain her favor to in turn gain her father's favor. Why would Akechi need her father's favor, though? He was already popular as it was, appearing on talk shows to debate with other people in the field. Supposedly some company was trying to set him up against Naoto Shirogane for such a debate, to get even more views by having not just the current detective prince on, but also the former. Their site would likely crash when that was finalized.

Her eyes dropped further to the words Akechi had added on beneath the address:  _if you don't feel safe at home you can come here._

It was a comforting thought. That she had somewhere else to go now if Sugimura tried to coerce her or her father was giving her a hard time. But that was the problem.

She didn't know if it was genuine or if she would end up in a bad situation in the event she did take him up on his offer. She just didn't know him that well, they had only been 'dating' - was that the right word to use? it felt right, but... - for a few weeks, not even a full month. There was no way she could possibly trust someone so quickly.

And beyond that... wouldn't she be intruding? It was his  _personal residence_ , something no one else knew about. At least to her knowledge. It wasn't uncommon for famous people to have their address plastered all over the internet because of the media - her home was certainly no secret. But Akechi's wasn't. So it felt... odd for him to give it to her. They were in the same position of not knowing much about the other. So how could he trust her with something so private?

Which brought up the other thing she had to consider... If she did go anyone looking in from the outside would likely believe they were closer than they actually were. Just like her father must be assuming right now. The thought made her skin crawl, like there were little worms crawling just beneath the surface of her skin. It made her feel sick, like how she had been in the alley when Sugimura confronted her. When he...

Haru squeezed her eyes shut, fingers closing over the piece of paper in her hand.

_One. Two. Three._

When she got to ten she opened her eyes, breathing resuming a regular pace as she forced the memories from her mind. She never wanted to go through that again. And Sugimura didn't know where Akechi lived... but he knew her place of residence. It was an assualt on her own private life everytime he barged in, acting as if he belonged in her living room, pressing for access to her bedroom. She couldn't deny the possibility that he had been in there without her permission either. He was a despicable person.

She just needed to figure out if it would be worth the risk. Akechi could easily harass her in his own apartment, show his true colors, overpower her where no on else was and...

Her cheek felt wet.

Haru raised a hand to press her fingers where the tear had run down her skin. What was wrong with her? How come she couldn't stop these sort of thoughts from invading every crevice of her mind? Akechi had been nothing but kind to her and here she was thinking of how he might rape her if she came to his place. Just because Sugimure did those sorts of things didn't mean Akechi would. Just because she was surrounded by horrible people didn't mean  _everyone_  was horrible.

She knew that and yet... the thoughts persisted.

"Today we are on the scene of another mental shutdown incident," the TV reported to anyone that was listening. "Just this morning a CEO was horribly disfigured by his own assistant when she forced his hand through a paper shredder and is currently in the hospital for treatment. The woman says she doesn't remember doing such a thing and denies all allegations even with video evidence."

Another bizarre case for Akechi. At least she could say she wasn't as messed up as that woman.

"Hm, isn't that where your driver stopped at last night?" her father asked. She had almost forgoten he was in the same room as her, for once.

Haru glanced up at the screen. She  _did_  recognize the building, the same one her and Akechi had passed through. Maybe the CEO had suspected something was wrong with his assistant and that's why he had to stop by. It made sense to her, especially given what was on the news.

"A truly horrifying event to happen in the midst of this city. It may not be related but I do feel the need to warn the youngsters out there again about the scams going on in Shibuya as they are the primary victim demographic. The police are pretty sure the yakuza or another large crime syndicate are responsible so do yourself a favor and stay out of any shady business activities. These sort of people shouldn't be dismissed, and they're a lot more dangerous than someone that loses their mind temporarily."

Haru got up, fingers still curled around her sliver of paper as she turned and headed down the hall going towards her room. She stopped short from her own door to turn and enter the bathroom, turning on the faucet to the bath before she shut the door.

She set the piece of paper on the small stand next to the tub as it began to fill with hot water, disposing of her clothes in the hamper before turning to face the mirror. Sugimura's words echoed in her head:  _You can have her after I've made her leak from every orifice._

The mental image it created seemed to reflect in the mirror and for a moment she was consumed with turning to face the toilet and dry heaving until something came up. But she pushed it back down, turning to step into the tub and sit down even as her body seemed to flare up. It was too hot, just right for her needs. She picked up her loofah and started scrubbing as the water slowly rose higher.

Her skin quickly became a bright red, from the hot water and her own actions which she only paused long enough to turn off the water before it could overflow. It wasn't helping as much as she thought it would though. She  _still_  felt disgusting. She could still remember Sugimura's hands running over her body, pushing her hand against his own clothed flesh. The way his tongue felt when it ran over her ear...

She took the loofah to the offending piece of skin, scrubbing hard with her fingers to dig it in and make her ear appear like a cat had scratched at it. Drops of blood fell into the water as she continued in her ministrations, but she ignored the rings of pink it created. Her vision too blurry as hot tears stung her cheeks.

Haru stayed in the bathroom for hours, until her skin felt raw, her entire body sore, and the water grew cold.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really appreciate all the support for this fic, especially since it has such a rare pair in it. And while Halloween is still nearly two months away I figured I would let you guys know I'm working on a special fic for Haru and Goro that I'll release either the day of the holiday or the day before. I haven't decided yet, partially because it's nowhere near finished.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the latest chapter to your bloody heart's content :)

"What is this?" she heard the demand just after the door to her father's study opened and turned to see him marching towards her, face twisted with fury. He had seemed calm when she poked her head around the corner heading into the living room earlier, though. So she was at a loss for why he was glaring at her now. Well, she had an idea, but that couldn't be the sole reason for such a drastic change.

She let her hand fall to her coffee cup rather than trying to cup her injured ear - an unconscious reaction to hearing the door open so suddenly - and hide it from view. Her hair was still wet from her shower, she had wanted some coffee before she started blow-drying it. The only reason she had come out into the kitchen this morning. She would get food into her system on her way to school, not stay and sit at a table expecting Sugimura to barge in at any moment.

"What is what, father?" she asked.

He seemed to pause, gaze shooting to her torn ear and the weird scratch-like pattern it held, the various little cuts that confirmed that she had drawn blood from it at some point in the last twelve hours, from the last time he had seen her. Some time yesterday, she didn't remember. She didn't care to.

"What happened to your ear?" he snapped a second later, his focus having been diverted from whatever it was that had actually put him into such a sour mood. "How did it get like that?  _What did you do?_ " With each question he took a step closer, his glare growing more intense. "Answer me, Haru!"

She didn't reply, instead focusing on the heat emanating from her mug. The warmth of it against her fingers, the fact that if it were hotter it might just burn her flesh. Maybe that would have been a more effective way to get the feel of that bastard's tongue off her skin. Just burn the flesh that remembered so she could forget, let a new set of cells entirely take its place.

"Does this have to do with the other night?"

Haru only pressed her lips into a thin line at his continued questioning. While it was related... why did he care? He never had before so there was no reason for him to start now. She just wanted to go and blowdry her hair so she could get out of this house for awhile with the ultimate excuse: education.

Her father sighed at her continued silence, his face settling into a scowl as he was obviously thinking of how to get her to respond to him. But its not like he had questioned her before about that night, what happened earlier that day. He hadn't seemed bothered by it then, so why the change? That's what  _she_ wanted to know.

She was so sick of these games that she was just waiting for him to explode at her in frustration.  _Let him_. She wanted the excuse, any excuse to not come back home tonight. It's not like she couldn't just rent a room for a few days or something with her credit card. Granted if she used her card her father would know where she was, but he doubted he would be worried about her whereabouts for her own health. She was just a pawn for his own personal gain, nothing more.

"Sugimura just finished telling me what happened that night over the phone."

_What?_

Haru looked up from her mug, staring at him. That got her attention, just like her father had predicated of course, but there was no smug grin present on his face right now. He really was pissed off.

And she couldn't say a word in response. Sugimura _told_ him what had happened? That had to be a lie, there was no way that creep had said a single truthful word. Her eyes narrowed at the mere thought of him confessing to his crime. What was that bastard up to now?

"He mentioned that he ran into you and Akechi in Shibuya." Well,  _that_ part was actually true... "That he spotted the two of you in an alley off the main street, that Akechi had you pinned against the wall and was-" he had the decency to clear his throat here, not say the exact words Sugimura must have used. "Coming onto you while  _you_ were intoxicated. Sugimura is pretty sure he must have used his connections to have access to alcohol considering neither of you are of legal drinking age, and I agree with that assessment of such a situation."

Haru had to tighten her grip on her mug so she wouldn't drop it. He had to be kidding. He believed the bullshit Sugimura had spouted? How the hell could he be so blind? What had made Sugimura think that something like this would even work...

Well, it  _was_  working. That was the problem. Her father was trusting her ex-fiance - who had made it clear he was trying to get re-engaged to her - instead of anyone that was actually trustworthy. It was completely illogical. Her father had a talk with Sugimura earlier that day about him wanting to take her out, likely to drug her just like he had accused Akechi of: to feel her up and take advantage of an imaginary delirious state she would be in if such a thing actually had occured.

One would think her father would be asking her if she was okay-

"So, just how far did you let him go?" For a moment all she could do was blink. "Well, Haru?" There was an undeniable edge to his tone when he asked the question and... and...

Her blood was boiling.

He didn't only believe Sugimura but he was more angry at the possibility that she was no longer a virgin for that creep than what Akechi supposedly did to her? The things Sugimura did to her that night? What sort of father- No, he didn't think of her like a daughter. So why should she bother to think of him as a man deserving of such a title?

"How far did I let him go?" Haru repeated, forcing herself to keep her breathing steady. "I didn't let  _anyone_  get anywhere with me. How could you think otherwise! Because Sugimura told you? Did he also tell you that he was the one to molest me in the alleyway!? That he was the one that was drunk, pushing himself on me! He only stopped when Akechi came back from getting our food! If it weren't for him I would have been raped! But that would have been fine, wouldn't it!?" She felt like she was going to crush the mug in her grasp any second now. "Because I would have lost my virginity to the man you actually want me to marry! Not the one you're setting up to piss off Sugimura in the first place!"

Haru had to stop and take a breath, but her anger didn't diminish in the slightest.

"Besides, I wouldn't marry that lecherous man even if he actually got on his knees and begged! All Sugimura wants out of this arrangement is a toy to play with! Let him find someone that'll be happy to be his personal little cunt!"

"Language, Haru," her father finally managed to get a word in, before she cut him off from saying anything further - if he had even intended to.

"I'm not changing my engagement to Akechi no matter what you really want! You can scheme my life away to your heart's content, but I'm not going to be an active player in the little dance you got going between Sugimura and Akechi! So you better be content with whatever arrangement you have with him! Because  _I don't care_! I'm not going to let you try to marry me off to another corrupt politician just for your career!"

Haru drew in another breath as no more words tried to jump up and out of her throat: everything she had been holding back, her general discontentment with this situation as a whole.

She didn't feel like she expected to though, drained from the energy she had used up so quickly, her blood was still pumping, and she felt like one of the many weights on her shoulders had been lifted. It felt  _good_.

"Invite Sugimura over if you want to talk with him again about what actually happened. I won't be coming back home after school tonight." Haru turned away, taking a sip of her coffee as she began to make her way back to her bathroom. Her hair was going to frizz rather than poof if she left it alone for much longer.

"And where would you be going if you don't intend on coming back tonight?"

Haru frowned at the empty space in front of her. "I haven't decided yet," she confessed. All she knew was that she didn't want to come back here, at least not tonight. But... she didn't necessarily want to barge in on Akechi just two days after he gave her his address, no matter the reason for it.

**_~ / ~_ **

Her step had a little bounce to it as she walked down the sidewalk towards school, having taken the public transport instead of a company car for once. She wouldn't allow herself to feel the weight of her father's leash around her neck when she had finally managed to slip from it. So suffice to say she wouldn't be using a car once school let out either. Though, she still wasn't sure just where she was going to crash for the night...

She supposed she could put that off and - what was the saying? - 'live in the moment?'

That sounded terrific, but she couldn't exactly act out like she just did at home at school as well. She was a model student, it wouldn't do for her to go and wander the city like she wanted to. After this morning she didn't want to be cooped up, but she had an image to maintain. Not to mention how angry her father would be if she skipped school.

She could feel the weight pushing back down at her shoulders again.

Haru shook her head, trying to make the feeling go away, just a second ago she had felt like she could dance on the street and not care if anyone stared, and now... and now... She needed to focus on something else.

Her father's anger for instance. And her own at his lack of concern. Really, why hadn't he asked her even once if she was okay? He got super pissed the moment he thought she had let Akechi 'pop her cherry' as it where.

Well, maybe she  _should_  let him. Not that he would ever approach her like that - not from what she knew of him, and the fact that they didn't know eachother very well - but... what if she approached him?

Akechi was intelligent, sure, but she had never heard any news of him being seen with a girl before or any rumors that he was dating someone. And while it was true that she lacked knowledge in the dating scene as well... wasn't entirely possible that she could seduce him? Let him take her virginity and let her father have a proper blowout from it. That way her father couldn't use it against her any longer. An extra little ribbon for any potential spouses shredded.

Her father certainly wouldn't have any say in it then. It would be like it was suppose to be: her choice and no one else's... right?

A small laugh slipped past her lips, and then a sigh.

No, that was a ridiculous idea. But she couldn't deny that the simple act of defying her father and taking at least one aspect of her life back into her control was appealing. It was the deceptive part that bothered her.

Besides, she reminded herself she had already told her father that she wasn't going to get re-engaged to anybody else. It would be better to let things play out naturally, not become something she hated.

She came to a brief stop in front of the open school gates, staring at the looming figure of the school building. It was going to be a long day.


End file.
